1. CD4+ CCR5+ and CD4+ CCR3+ lymphocyte subset and monocyte apoptosis in patients with acute visceral leishmaniasis.
- Author
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Potestio, Marcella, D'Agostino, Pietro, Romano, Giuseppina Colonna, Milano, Salvatore, Ferlazzo, Viviana, Aquino, Alessandra, Di Bella, Gloria, Caruso, Rosalba, Gambino, Giuseppe, Vitale, Giustina, Mansueto, Serafino, and Cillari, Enrico
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MONOCYTES , *APOPTOSIS , *LEISHMANIASIS , *ANTIGENS , *LYMPHOCYTES , *IMMUNOLOGY - Abstract
The potential involvement of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was examined by studying spontaneous andLeishmaniaantigen (LAg)-induced apoptosis using cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of Sicilian patients with VL. Results indicate that monocytes and T lymphocytes from acute VL patients show a significantly higher level of apoptosis compared with that observed in healed subjects. The percentage of apoptotic cells was higher in monocytes than in T lymphocytes. T cells involved in programmed cell death (PCD) were mainly of the CD4+ phenotype. In particular, the T helper 1-type (Th1) subset, as evaluated by chemokine receptor-5 (CCR5) expression, is involved in this process. Cell death in Th1-type uses a CD95-mediated mechanism. Furthermore, Th1-type CCR5+ cells are prone to cell suicide in an autocrine or paracrine way, as attested by enhanced expression of CD95L in acute VL patients. The reduction in Th1-type cells by apoptosis was confirmed by the decrease in interferon-γ secretion. In conclusion, apoptosis of monocytes, CD4+ and CD4+ CCR5+ T cells could be involved in the failure of cell mediated immunity that is responsible for severe immune-depression in VL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
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